Age An Issue For Potvin At Nhl Draft

June 23, 2001|By Michael Russo Staff Writer

Count Denis Potvin among the general managers and scouts who think the NHL should not be drafting 18-year-olds.

"These kids today are under such tremendous pressure and scrutiny, and I'm against an 18-year-old draft because of that," said Potvin, who was taken first overall at age 20 by the New York Islanders in 1973. "Physically and emotionally, I was much more ready to leave home.

"To all of a sudden receive a paycheck, live in an apartment, pay my own bills, that stuff's traumatic if you're not mature enough. And the difference between 18 and 20 is huge."

In 1978, Ken Linseman sued the NHL to change draft eligibility from 20 to 18. Believing it would lose in court, the NHL relented and the draft eligibility age has been 18 since.

Potvin thinks it's difficult for teenagers to adjust if they make the NHL right away.

"I like what they do in Sweden," Potvin said. "They educate their kids there. They teach them about the media, how to deal with finances. North America should have a program like that because off the ice, the pressure is tremendous.

"Not only are you barraged by fans, you have all kind of hangers-on. They're not your friends, but they pretend to be, and often times they lead you in the wrong direction."

Potvin remembers the draft as "the most exciting time of his life.''

"I was sitting in Montreal, and I knew the Islanders were going to take me. But I was still really anxious and nervous because I thought, `What could possibly go wrong?'''

Nothing did. The Islanders took him No. 1, and 18 years later Potvin was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

In 1990 Torrey, then with the Islanders, spent considerable time in Europe meeting with Jagr and his father.

"Everything was all set for us to draft him, and then the very last game of the year, we tied," Torrey said. Pittsburgh was playing Buffalo, it went into overtime and Uwe Krupp scored the winner and knocked Pittsburgh out.

"We went into the playoffs and they got Jagr. We got Scotty Scissons, who arrived in camp with a bad knee and bad wrist and never saw the light of day.''

Several trades expected

Torrey expects an active trading day.

"I don't know if a big name will go right away or not, but if it does, a lot of times there's a snowball effect," Torrey said. "One deal falls and then another falls. It's like when a goaltender is taken in the draft. You see five or six go in the next little bit."

Panthers woo Dopita again

Torrey is expected to talk again this morning with Jiri Dopita's representatives in hopes of getting the immovable Czech center overseas.

"I'm not going to go on forever chasing a Czech rainbow," Torrey said. "We have other fish to fry. His opportunities are getting narrower and narrower."

Spezza throws out first pitch

Top-rated North American Jason Spezza threw out the first pitch at the Marlins game Friday night, but it wasn't his first time around baseball.

While this weekend is his first visit to South Florida, Spezza has been to Dunedin, site of the Toronto Blue Jays' spring training camp. His family used to stay at the same hotel as the Blue Jays while on vacation.

"I met Carlos Delgado before he made it," Spezza said.

'99 Bruins pick re-enters draft

Kyle Wanvig, a third-round pick by Boston in 1999, is one of several players who didn't sign with their club by June 1 and is eligible to re-enter the draft.

Don't be surprised if he's around by the time the Panthers take their second pick at 34th overall. If he doesn't go late in the first round, he's expected to go in the first four picks of the second.

"He's a big, strong kid who could probably step in to a team now," Panthers chief scout Tim Murray said.